Of the five Fife constituencies this is the only one not held by Labour. With prime farmland, popular tourist resorts and elegant market towns, it was a Tory seat up until 1987, but since then it has been held at Westminster by the Liberal Democrats. It contains some of the best groomed towns in Scotland. Cupar, the capital of Fife, is a bustling market town but the most famous town in the seat, St Andrews, is perhaps the most conservative.

The MP is Lib Dem deputy federal leader Menzies Campbell. He was returned with a majority of more than 28% at the 2001 general election. Iain Smith was elected the MSP in 1999 with a majority of 5,000. The Conservatives were the second party here but they would need a swing of over 7% to win the seat - unlikely in their current state. This is not natural Labour territory but Fife North East does seem to be a good training ground for future Labour MPs - Henry McLeish, Helen Liddell and Lynda Clark have all been candidates here.